Do's and Don'ts in the Kitchen

There is an article floating around the internet that gives a list of do’s and don’ts when it comes to people who are blind. It made the rounds on Facebook a while back. So, in the spirit of that article, here are some important things to remember if you have a blind person who makes herself at home in your kitchen.

1. Do not leave pots and pans sitting on a stovetop with their handles sticking out. The blind person will not see them, and this could results in any number of messes and injuries.
2. Eat what she puts in front of you without asking why the box of pancake mix is on the stove. This could result in learning she thickened your beef stew with it instead of using cornstarch.
3. Do label everything, either in braille or using an electronic system, such as Digit Eyes, an app for iPhones. Failure to label items can result in some very interesting combinations, such as blueberry syrup instead of barbecue sauce on your ribs. Just FYI, this did not happen to me; it happened to a friend of mine.
4. Do inform the person who is blind when you leave an open cup with your drink still in it on their counter. Failure to inform them results in a sticky mess and lots of frustration on the blind person’s part. :-)
5. Do not leave sharp objects, such as knives with their points upward in the drainer. Bloody fingers usually aren’t welcome around food.
6. And, last, but certainly not least, do not move things from where the blind person usually keeps them. A person who is blind cannot rely on their sight to know whether the plastic jug contains milk or sweet tea. The funny part is the sighted child who took a bite of her Fruity Pebbles doused in tea, didn’t even realize it until she had tasted it. Ha! The other funny part was when the man of the house poured the contents of the jug into his gravy mixture, thinking it was milk. So, I suppose these are good do’s and don’ts for sighted folks as well as those who are blind. :)

The truth is mistakes and accidents happen to everyone, no matter if they have a disability or not. Best thing to do is laugh it off and try again. Stuffed peppers don’t come out first time you make them? Figure out what you did wrong and try again. When sweet tea and Fruity Pebbles don’t make a good combination, pour it out and get out a clean bowl and find the real milk jug. Your chocolate peanut butter no bake cookies didn’t set up right? Tell your hubby and kids it’s a chocolate blob and eat it anyway. LOL The kitchen sink is down because it needs worked on? Do your dishes in the bath tub. :-) You accidentally pour a bag of dried beans into your brownie mix instead of chocolate chips? Dump ‘em out and try again.

What ever happens, don’t give up. Never quit trying. Maybe, you’re afraid of the kitchen. Maybe, you think you’re a failure at something else. I still say, don’t give up. Laugh at your mistakes, and keep on keeping on. If you can’t see the humor in your situation, pray about it. Some things just aren’t funny. But, laugh about the ones that are, cry over the ones that aren’t, then get up and try again.

Happy Tuesday. :-)